1. Field
In general, the inventive arrangements relate to respiratory care, and more specifically, to improvements in respiratory monitoring.
2. Description of Related Art
For illustrative, exemplary, representative, and non-limiting purposes, preferred embodiments of the inventive arrangements will be described in terms of medical subjects needing respiratory care. However, the inventive arrangements are not limited in this regard.
Now then, referring generally, when a subject is medically unable to sustain breathing activities on the subject's own, mechanical ventilators can improve the subject's condition and/or sustain the subject's life by assisting and/or providing requisite pulmonary gas exchanges on behalf of the subject. Not surprisingly, many types of mechanical ventilators are well-known, and they can be generally classified into one (1) of three (3) broad categories: spontaneous, assisted, and/or controlled mechanical ventilators.
During spontaneous ventilation, a subject generally breathes at the subject's own pace, but various, external factors can affect certain parameters of the ventilation, such as tidal volumes and/or baseline pressures within a system. With this first type of mechanical ventilation, the subject's lungs still “work,” in varying degrees, and the subject generally tends and/or tries to use the subject's own respiratory muscles and/or reflexes to control as much of the subject's own breathing as the subject can.
During assisted or self-triggered ventilation, the subject generally initiates breathing by inhaling and/or lowering a baseline pressure, again by varying degrees, after which a clinician and/or ventilator then “assists” the subject by applying generally positive pressure to complete the subject's next breath.
During controlled or mandatory ventilation, the subject is generally unable to initiate breathing by inhaling and/or exhaling and/or otherwise breathing naturally, by which the subject then depends on the clinician and/or ventilator for every breath until the subject can be successfully weaned therefrom.
Now then, as is well-known, non-invasive mechanical ventilation can be improved upon by containing and/or controlling the spaces surrounding the subject's airways in order to achieve more precise control of the subject's gas exchanges. Commonly, this is accomplished by applying i) an enclosed facemask, which can be sealably worn over the subject's nose, mouth, and/or both, or ii) an enclosed hood or helmet, which can be sealably worn over the subject's head, the goals of which are to at least partly or wholly contain and/or control part or all of the subject's airways. Referring generally, these types of arrangements are known as “interfaces,” a term that will be used hereinout to encompass all matters and forms of devices that can be used to secure subject airways in these fashions.
During non-invasive mechanical ventilation, it is increasingly important to monitor the subject's respiration and/or other respiratory airflows, at least to access the adequacy of ventilation and/or control operation of attached ventilators. For example, interface leaks and/or interface compressions commonly adversely effect a subject's interpreted and/or real airflow needs. More specifically, since interface disturbances will always be difficult and/or impossible to avoid, a need exists to deal with them appropriately.
In accordance with all or part of the foregoing, the inventive arrangements address interface disturbances and respiratory airflows, particularly during non-invasive spontaneous and/or assisted mechanical ventilation.